Envelop-feeder for printing-presses.



L. W. WHITTEN. BNVBLOP FEEDER FOR PRINTING PEEssEs.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1907.

Patented Mar.16, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

l/VI/E/VTOR ATTORNEY WITNESSES:

L. W. WHITTEN. ENVELOP FEEDER oE PRINTING PEEssEs. APPLICATION TILED MAR. 5, 1907.

Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY Unrrn LUCIEN W. WHIITEN, OF (:REENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, itlll) LOUIS '1. DAVIDSON, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

ENTV'ELQP-FEEBER FOR PRINTING-PRESS S.

I No.'e15,14o.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 16, 1909.

I all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUCIEN W. Wnrrrsu, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenville, in the county of Greenville and State of South Uarolina have invented a new and useful Envelop-Feeder for Printing- Presses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to feeding devices for printing presses, and the objects of my improvement are, to provide a feeding apparatus for the conventional printing and ithograph press for automatically feeding envelops from a hopper or a series of hoppers,

simplicity of construction, com arative inezo pensiveness of manufacture, (iiirability, ra-

pidity, and to provide such a device that may be readily duplicated and easily adjusted.

These objects I attain by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view; Fig. 2, a plan view; Fig. 3, a plan view showing the device in position over the cylinder of the press; Fig. 4, a front elevation; Fig. 5, a detail edge view of the feed-plate showing the groove; and, Fig. 6, a detail plan view of the feed-slide.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the 1 drawings.

A feed-board, 2, is adapted to be placed and operate on the, conventional printing or lithograph press over the cylinder J of the press. The press 'is provided with grippers, 17, and drop gages, 18, as usual. Only a cam-disk, with cam slots, 15 and 16, or equivalent means for operating the slide-and pusher, is necessary to be placed onthe 40 cylinder or the extension of its shaft or other part of the press adapted to actuate said members.

The feeding device is provided with hopper uprights 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Upright a is permanently fixed onto board 2 by a curved bracket 31 which holds its lower end at a suitable distance above the feed-board, while uprights 3, 5, 6, and 7 are adjustable by means of thumb-screws 25. Uprights 3 t,

and 57 connected together in pairs, so as to move in unison when adjusted. The envelops are piled in the hopper formed lby the uprights with the closed flaps downward, the closed or pocket edge of the envelop rest log upon the s1ipporting strip 32 at the rigl1thand side of the hopper, and the flap edge resting on a feed-slide, (3, on the loin hand side of the hopper. if longer envcl are to be printed, uprights 5-7 are adjust-ed backward to provide therfor, and if Wider envelope are to be printed, uprights 3-6 are adjusted to the right to provide therefor. Upon the surface of feed-board 2 pla a feed-slide, 8, formed of sheet metal, wh forms a bottom for the hopper, and enter beyond the ho per to the left, Where metal is turned over to form groove into which the flap edge of the envelops may be pushed side-Wise, as shown at 9 (lr 'ig. 5). The rear portion of the groove in part ll is closed by a block, 28,.profided with a set screw, 29, which in turn is moved in a slot in the top of part 9. Block 28 is adjustable to accommodate envelope of dilierent lengths, and serves the purpose of ushing the envelope forward by their end? edges when feed-slide 8 is advanced.

Feed-slide 8 is given a reciprocatory motion transverse relative to cylinder 1, the motion being imparted through counecting-rod 1G, crank 11, shaft 12, crank 13, and cam-rod 14, which is actuated by a cam-roller operating in slot 13 of the cam-disk.

Spring pushei fingers 19 and 20 are'provided, disposed over feed-slide 8, and con nected at their fixal ends by a cross-bar, '21. A motion transverse to that of ieed-slide 8 and longitudinal relative to cylinder 1 is inn-- parted to the pusher-lingers l9 and 20 through a connecting-rod, 22, disposed un der feed-board and operated. by a bell z crank, 23, and. cam-rod 24 which is actuated by a cam-roller working in cam-slot 16 in the cam-disk. Pusher-fingers 19 and 20, together with cross-bar 21, adjustable on rod 22 by means of a set screw 27. One feederclemen t is illustrated in the drawings, but it is obvious that these elements may be duplicated and a of them placed across the feed-board extending the entire length of cylinder 1, so that a number of envelope may be fed at the same cycle of the press. Shaft 12, in this instance, is extended entirely across the feed-board, and likewise connecting-rod 22, underneath the feed board A second element is illustrated in Fig. 2 by the dotted lines.

The operation of the device will now be readily understood. The hoppers are filled with envelope, as illustrated at 26, in Fig. 4,

the envelops being laced with the flap downward, closed, and extending toward the right, the closed edge of the bottom envelop 30 restim upon strip 32 on the right-hand side, so i iatit is somewhat elevated. (Figs. 1 and 5). The back of the envelop will now rest upon lingers 19 and 20, and these lingers are in osition ready to enter between the back 0? the envelop and the fla When the ends of fingers 19 and reac the fold of the flap, they continue to advance and carry the envelop with them under and beyond the hopper uprights 4 and 5 and push it into the horizontal groove formed in part 9 of feed-slide 8. When the envelop is in this position, feed-slide 8 is advanced by its atuating mechanism, block 28 engages the rear end edge of the envelop and pushes it forward with the feed-slide until its front edge extends somewhat beyond the feedboard 2 and rests against drop-guide 18, readyto be grasped by grippers 17. As the cylinder revolves, the enveloo is drawn oil feed-slide 8 and printed in the usual way. The feed-slide and fingers 1.) and 20 recede and advance, so as to. perform a similar cycle.

With this apparatus, all that it is neces sary for the operatm' to do is to keep the hoppers lilled. When it is required to )rint a dill'erent size of envelops, the right-hand side and the rear end uprights ol the hopper v may be adjusted by loosening set-screws and moving them backward or forward in slots 33 provided for the purpose in feedboard 2.

i I I Having thus described the construction j and operation of my invention so that any one skilled in the art pertaining thereto may make it and understand its use, i claim--- 1.An envelop feeding attachment tor printing presses l'or l'eeding closed-flap onvelolps, comprising a hopper, for holding a stac of venvelops; means for engaging the flap and pushing the bottom envelop of the stack sidewise parallel with the axis of the cylinder of the press; and means for engaging the body of the bottom envelo and pushing said bottom envelo forward transversely to the axis of the cy inder of the press, into position to be grasped by the grippers.

2. ln an envelop feeder for printing presses, an adjustable hopper, a transversely reciprocating leedslidc mounted under said hopper, provided. with a lateral longitudinal on said feed-beard; a feed-plate, under said hopper, connected by ,mech anical means with moving parts of the press, to slide transversely relative to the aXis of the press cylinder and carry an envelop to the cylinder grippers, and being provided at one edge with a hor-ivontal. slot facing toward the l'iopperand aii apted to receive the flap-edge of the envelop feed iingers arranged and suitably connected with the meehanism of the press to move longitudinally relative to the axis of the press cylinder, engage the flap of the envelop, and push it into the slot of said feed-plate; and an adjustable block in the slot of said l'eed-plate for engaging the rear end edge of the envelop and pushing itforward into the path ol the cylinder gripper.

Ill ll EN W. Wl l.ll"l"l lN.

W i ti iesses:

.VliLLltlt ll. inner, A. W. PALMER. 

